


4,619 Miles

by thesatanistauthor



Series: 4,619 Miles [1]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt, Hurt, M/M, levi isnt told, nico has to leave, prompt, schmico week, schmico week - a prompt that breaks your heart, schmico week - day 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 03:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18327875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesatanistauthor/pseuds/thesatanistauthor
Summary: "Did you seriously plan on leaving me for a whole year and not even tell me about it?" Levi choked back a sob, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth. Nico feels his heart clench at the sight, knowing that it was his fault that Levi was so upset.-SCHMICO WEEK DAY 2 - A prompt that breaks your heart





	4,619 Miles

**Author's Note:**

> So, hi. Let me explain. This is for Schmico week, something which I am hosting on tumblr. I'm doing a mixture of writing and video edits. Go check it out on my tumblr, justnotperfectly!! The stuff people have created are just incredible already, y'all really blow my mind.
> 
> So today's prompt is "a prompt which breaks your heart.". I choose this one.

Nico had known for months that he was moving to Manchester for a year to do research in another hospital. He'd known for months and yet, it still didn't seem like it was the right time to tell Levi that he'd be gone for a year. 

 

Everyone else knew. Everyone knew and still, Levi didn't. It had been difficult to keep it from him for so long but somehow, everyone had managed to keep their mouths shut. Now, time was running out, as he'd be flying out on Monday. It was currently Friday, so he only had two days to tell Levi. He knew exactly how Levi would react. He wasn't prepared for it at all. 

 

It was getting harder and harder by the minute to keep it all to himself. Nico knew that Levi would loathe him for not telling him, considering that in two days, he would be thousands of miles away from him. Levi never took this news well. When Nico had gone to visit his family in another state, just for a few days, Levi had flipped when he was told. 

 

It was coming up to the end of both Nico and Levi's shifts. Only a few more patients and then Nico would have to tell Levi. He had no choice. However, that wasn't what was going to happen. 

 

"Hey, Schmitt!" A cheery voice called for Levi, catching his attention. He turned to see Link walking over to him, a bright smile on his face. "How you doing?"

 

"Great," Levi replies, turning his attention back to his phone in his hand, texting a quick reply to a text Nico had sent him. "Why are you asking?"

 

"I just thought you'd be upset, that's all." 

 

"Over what, exactly?" Levi raised a brow, locking his phone before crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

"About Nico leaving." 

 

Levi tilted his head to the side in question, brows furrowing tightly together. What on Earth was Link talking about? What was Nico leaving? Why was Nico leaving? This wasn't something he'd been made aware of. Nico hadn't told him this. 

 

"What?" Levi scoffs, shaking his head. Link mirrored Levi's look of confusion. 

 

"Nico is leaving on Monday, for Manchester, for a year. I thought he'd told you?" Link states, resting a hand on his hip as he watched Levi shift, his expression changing from confusion to hurt.

 

"No, he hadn't. This is news to me." It came as a complete and utter shock to Levi, as this was not something he'd expected to hear today. His day hadn't been too great as it was and now he was finding out that Nico was leaving, all because Link couldn't keep his mouth shut?

 

"Well," Link took in a deep breath, pausing for a moment. "I wasn't meant to tell you that. I suggest talking to Nico about that."

 

Levi let out a frustrated sigh as he stormed off, shoving his phone in his pocket as he went to find Nico. To say he was pissed was a simple understatement, as there were no words to describe how hurt he felt by Nico right now. Was there a reason why Nico hadn't told him? Did Nico just plan on running off without telling Levi? 

 

Levi eventually found Nico, who was busy talking with Karev. Nico spotted Levi, his attention being stolen away from his current conversation, shooting him a quick smile before he excused himself away from Karev. Levi stopped in his tracks, waiting for Nico to approach him. Once Nico reached him, Levi instantly grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him off into the nearby supply closet, almost throwing Nico in. Levi followed in behind him, slamming the door shut before locking it. 

 

The force of Levi throwing him in nearly caused Nico to slam into a shelf, which would have resulted in one hell of a mess to clear up. Nico regained his composure, turning himself to face Levi, his face fiddled with confusion as to what had just happened. It'd happened so abruptly that Nico couldn't quite recall it. One minute he was in the hallway with Levi, next he was in the supply closet with him.

 

"Well, it's nice to see you too," Nico quipped, running his hands over his scrubs to straighten them out. Levi just stared at him with a look of ire slapped across his face, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his lab coat.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Levi asked, his tone demanding. 

 

Nico raised a brow, turning his head to the side a little as he tried to comprehend what Levi was asking. "Tell you what?"

 

"I don't know, maybe that you're leaving in two days?!" Levi barks, lifting his shoulders in a shrug as he took a step towards Nico, closing the distance between them. It was rare to see Levi so vexed, so it took Nico by surprise to see him acting such a way. When Levi wanted to, he could get angry. It was actually kind of terrifying, Nico couldn't lie. 

 

"Oh," Nico sighed. "You heard."

 

"Yeah, I heard! From Link of all people!" Levi took his hands out from his pockets, throwing his hands up. Nico folded his arms over his stomach, lowering his head so he didn't have to look at Levi. He felt so incredibly bad for not telling him. It hurt to see Levi so upset over such a small thing. 

 

But that's the thing; it wasn't a small thing. It was a very, very big thing. 

 

"Look, I was going to tell you, I was just-"

 

"When were you going to tell me? When you were in another country? Never?" Levi brought his hands up to his face, running his hand through his hair to release some of his pent up frustration. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but it had little effect. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm himself. He could feel his hands shaking and there was this burning sensation building in his chest. 

 

"I was going to tell you tonight!" Nico snaps back, wanting to defend himself. 

 

"Oh really? How long have you known, Nico? How long?" Levi jutts his chin up, his eyes narrowing as he waited for Nico to respond. Nico let out a long, drawn-out sigh as he shifted his weight from one foot to another, his lips pursed tightly together. 

 

"Three months." He answers honestly, knowing that lying to Levi would only get him into shit deeper than he already was. The answer caused a sarcastic laugh to erupt from Levi, who crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back to Nico, taking a moment to process it all. The mere sight of Nico was only causing Levi to get more worked up than he wanted to be. 

 

"Three months," Levi repeats, his voice somewhat muffled by the fact his back was turned to Nico. "Three fucking months."

 

"I didn't want to upset you," Nico admits, even though he knows that it would have upset Levi no matter when he'd told him. "I wanted to spend every moment with you that I could with neither of us worrying about how much time we had left!"

 

"You don't get to raise your voice at me, Nico!" Levi whips back round to face Nico, lifting his hand to stab his finger at him. Levi felt like his heart was going to give out on him; there had been only three other times in his life he had ever felt this angry. When his father had left him and his mother, when Mufasa had died in The Lion King, and when he'd failed one of the most important exams of his life. 

 

"I swear I was going to tell you!" Nico was desperate to get Levi to listen to him. If he left on a bad note with Levi, he would never forgive him. Nor did he think that Levi would ever forgive him. He'd messed up super bad and he knew it. 

 

"Then why didn't you?" Levi's tone changed from anger to hurt, his voice breaking as he finished his sentence. Nico could see the unshed tears building up in Levi's eyes, threatening to spill at any given moment. He could see Levi's elevated breathing, how he was trying so hard not to break down. 

 

Nico let out a deep sigh as he took a step closer to Levi, reaching his hands out to take Levi's in his own. However, Levi pulled his hands back as soon as he realized what Nico was doing, not wanting Nico to touch him. Levi swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. 

 

"Did you seriously plan on leaving me for a whole year and not even tell me about it?" Levi chokes back a sob, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. Nico feels his heart clench at the sight, knowing that it was his fault that Levi was so upset. 

 

"I'm not leaving you, babe," Nico shakes his head a little. "Not like that."

 

"I know, but it just feels," Levi pauses and glances upwards, using his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. He takes in a deep breath to compose himself. "It feels horrible, Nico. I can't believe I have to say goodbye to you in two days, for a whole damn year, and I've only just found out. You need to understand that this is so, so hard for me."

 

"It's hard for me too, Levi. I don't want to leave as much as you don't want me to leave, but this opportunity is a once in a lifetime thing!" 

 

"I get that!" Levi sighs harshly. "I get that, Nico. I'm not stopping you from going, I would never dream of doing that to you. I'm not upset over the fact you're leaving. I'm upset over the fact you didn't tell me sooner."

 

Levi had a point. His point was fair and just. Nico really should have told him sooner. It would have prevented so much drama, so much hurt. It left an empty feeling in Levi, knowing that soon enough, their shared apartment would be empty and he'd be sleeping alone for a year. There would be no one to confide in, no one to hug him when he was upset, no one to catch the spiders that would infest the house. Levi knew that he wouldn't have any time to fly out and visit Nico. Nico knew that too. 

 

"I'm so sorry, Levi. I messed up, I know. I don't want to leave if you're going to stay mad at me. I can't leave knowing you hate me." 

 

"I don't hate you. I'm mad at you, sure. But I don't hate you, I never could. Listen, I'm going to... go and clear my head. I need some time alone. I'll see you later tonight."

 

With that, Levi turned and left the room, leaving Nico to his own thoughts. Nico felt beyond stupid. He also felt irritated, knowing that it was Link who started this mess. He sure would give him a piece of his mind. He wasn't going to let him get away with this. 

 

Link may be one of his closest friends but that wasn't going to stop him. It wasn't Link's place to tell Levi about him leaving. 

 

The surge of emotions was overwhelming for Nico. He was so scared that he had messed things up between him and Levi. He had two days. Two days left with Levi. 

 

Then he'd be gone for a year. 

 

-

 

Levi followed behind Nico, biting down on his bottom lip to try to keep his emotions concealed. Having a breakdown in public was not something he planned on doing. Nico hauled his large suitcase along behind him, both of them completely silent as they made their way through the airport. It was early in the morning, so it was quiet. Too quiet. 

 

Eventually, it came to a point where Levi couldn't follow Nico any longer. They had to go their separate ways, whether or not they wanted to.

 

Nico let out a solemn sigh as he parked his suitcase, turning to face Levi. Levi still looked exhausted, having been unable to sleep throughout the night. His hair was messier than usual and he'd been unable to put his contacts in, resorting back to using his glasses. 

 

"I guess this is where we say goodbye," Nico mutters, his hand still gripped firmly around the handle of the suitcase. Levi inhales deeply as he lifts his chin to look at Nico, putting on the best smile he could. "I wish this didn't have to happen."

 

"I know. It doesn't feel real." Levi stifles a sad laugh, taking a step closer to Nico so he could snake his arms around his waist. Nico wrapped his arms around Levi, pulling him in close, burying his face in his hair. 

 

They stayed like that for a little while, not wanting to part from one another. Maybe if they stayed like that, the world would stop and Nico wouldn't have to leave. Maybe, just maybe, it could happen. 

 

"I love you," Nico mutters into Levi's hair, tightening his arms around Levi. He felt Levi do the same as Levi buried his face into Nico's chest. "So, so much."

 

"I love you too," Levi's voice was muffled, but Nico could still sense the sadness in it. He could still hear how strained his voice was, how much it hurt for Levi to say those words, knowing he wouldn't be able to say them face-to-face with Nico again for a year. "More than you could imagine."

 

An announcement rang through the near-empty airport, letting both of them know that Nico's plane was soon to be boarding. With a sigh, Nico pulled back from Levi, bringing his hands up to rest against Levi's cheeks. He ghosted his thumb against Levi's skin, taking a few extra moments to take in every part of Levi, so that he could remember him. He leaned down, pressing his lips to Levi's in a chaste kiss.

 

"I have to go," Nico rested his forehead against Levi's, his eyes squeezed shut. Levi nodded his head a little, a tight-lipped smile spreading across his face. With every passing moment, it became harder for Levi to keep his emotions in control. 

 

The two of them part from each other, despite how difficult it was. Levi wanted nothing more than to follow Nico to Manchester, he wanted nothing more than to stay by his side. 

 

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Levi forces a half-hearted smile as he glances up at Nico. Nico nods once before he reaches back to grab his suitcase, gripping the handle firmly. 

 

"Goodbye." It's quieter than Nico expected, but if he spoke any louder, he feared he may start crying. Levi wraps his arms around himself, already missing the feeling of Nico's arms around him. He's already missing his warmth, and he's still stood in front of him. 

 

"Bye," Levi has to take a deep breath to keep himself from crying. Nico finally turns and starts walking away, leaving Levi to stand and watch him go. Levi stays stood in the exact same spot until he can no longer see Nico. Levi shakes his head to bring him back to reality as he takes his phone out from his pocket, unlocking it to text Taryn, asking if she can come and pick him up. 

 

He also texts Nico, letting him know that he already misses him more than he could ever imagine. He smiles down at his phone, despite the aching feeling in his chest. He receives a text back from Taryn, complaining that it was too early but agreeing that she would pick him up. She knew how bad the day was going to be for him. 

 

It was a good half-an-hour later when Taryn finally texts him to let him know she's outside waiting for him. He exits the airport and finds her car, opening the door and flopping into the seat. He just sits there for a moment, staring into nothing. Taryn frowns as she watches Levi, sighing quietly to herself, hands rested on the wheel. 

 

"You okay?" She asks, though she already knows the answer. Levi inhales deeply before putting on his best smile, blinking his eyes a couple of times before he turns his head to look at her. 

 

"I'm just fine," He breathes, though it's a lie. He isn't fine. It's silent for a moment, the smile on Levi's face fading. Taryn reaches a hand over to rest it on Levi's knee, pursing her lips together. "I just wish I'd hugged him longer."

 

Taryn nods in understanding. She'd never experienced the pain of watching someone leave like that, though she could see how much it was affecting her friend. She removed her hand from Levi's knee as he sat back in his seat, turning so he could put on his seatbelt. She switched the car on and turned her attention to Levi once more. 

 

"Hey, how about we go grab a coffee and talk?"

 

"That sounds perfect."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! It was quite fun to write. Make sure to go check out my tumblr for everything I do for schmico week!


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